John

I am a former student of Merton College, Oxford, where I studied English for BA (First class) and MSt (Distinction), and of Hertford College, Oxford, where I took the BCL postgraduate degree in Law (Distinction). My secondary school was Watford Grammar School for Boys. I also have the Graduate Diploma in Law (Distinction), the equivalent of an undergraduate degree, from City Law School, University of London.

My specialism: helping students at all levels with structured writing. This is a unique and important skill - knowing how to shape an essay is just as important as knowing what to put in it. It is also a skill which I think schools and universities often neglect. There is a strange and prevalent myth that it can’t be taught: that you can either write well or you can’t.

My view is that good essays can be reduced to a few simple techniques for setting out ideas clearly and in the right kind of language.

Many (though not all) students who I meet feel confident with the content they need to grasp, but, having received inconsistent or confusing advice from teachers and tutors, struggle with exam technique and written expression. I aim to prove that academic writing is best kept simple.

And when it comes to the material, I believe very much in the importance of ‘boiling things right down’. The more difficult parts often fall surprisingly quickly and painlessly into place once the basics - basic research, essay planning, and critical thinking skills, plus basic grammar and expression - are all in place.

Availability: I am a full-time tutor, so I am available at daytimes, evenings and weekends. I don`t update the "availability" section on this page - it would be too difficult to coordinate with my other calendars - so please ask me about when you`d like to book for, and we`ll make it work.

I offer an introductory, meet-and-greet session for longer-term prospective students which is free of charge. I don`t think first contact should be rushed.

Willing to travel: 10 miles

Experience: I have been teaching, independently and occasionally in universities and schools, since 2013. Unlike many tutors, this is my full-time job, and will be for the foreseeable future.

I have thousands of hours of tutorial experience, both in person and online, one-to-one and in small groups, across a range of subjects, age levels, and exam boards. I have not listed a subject on my profile unless I have already had students, and in many cases very many students, in that subject.

As for what a tutorial with me is like: I know that being in a one-on-one tutorial is very different to being at school. I sat in college tutorials myself all the way through university. I have no doubt that it is by far the best way for anyone to improve their understanding of their subject. People are social animals: we’re engaged by conversation, and we’re much better at memorising what we talk about than what we read.

The easy part of my job is explaining ‘the material’ or ‘the facts’. And this is, in reality, a very small part of what happens in tutorials. They’re not lectures! Tutorials are really about looking at something together - a draft of an essay, a part of a set text, a past paper question, whatever it may be - and getting it under control. This is how confidence is built. I’ve taken all of the exams before (by now, you might say, many times over). Passing exams and getting the grades - these are important things. Often they’re priority number one, and the reason why I’m called in to help. But what I think this really involves is getting confident with the material, achieving what teachers sometimes call ‘mastery’. Examiners love confidence. If students can display in everything they do a confidence in their power over the material, the examiner will go along with them. This is as true for GCSE students as it is for undergraduates.

For this reason I put confidence- and skills-building at the centre of my approach. That is the challenging part of my job. I think that the extent to which a teacher can encourage self-assurance and intellectual independence in students… that is the difference between an experienced and committed tutor, and the many, many tutors who drift in and out of the job.

To build this confidence, I try in tutorials to create a relaxed and informal environment. I’ve given thousands of hours of tutorials by this point, and I’ve put a lot of thought and practice into how to make them feel like natural conversations. Therefore I ask students to respond naturally and feel assured in their instincts (which are usually, I aim to prove, right anyway).

If you think that tutorials don`t sound right for you, talk to me about other ways that I can help. Some students like me to give feedback on their writing, check their notes etc. in addition to or instead of speaking on a call/in person.

DBS Check: Yes